Josh Burkman returns to face Hector Lombard at UFC 182
It's been six years since Josh Burkman graced the UFC Octagon but the former Ultimate Fighter season 2 competitor is back on the roster with a matchup against top 10 ranked welterweight Hector Lombard at UFC 182 on January 3, 2015.
UFC president Dana White first announced Burkman re-signing with the promotion earlier in the day on Friday and then confirmed the bout against Lombard.
Burkman (27-10) comes back to the UFC after going 9-2 since exiting the promotion in 2008. The Utah based welterweight exited the UFC following three straight losses, but took some serious time off after his last fight to allow his body to get healthy again.
Burkman suffered from back issues for much of his UFC career and once he was mended, his performances showed a huge difference.
During a recent 3-1 stretch, Burkman knocked out former UFC fighter Aaron Simpson before choking out Jon Fitch in just 41-seconds. Most recently, Burkman finished Tyler Stinson by knockout while competing in World Series of Fighting in March and now he's ready to make his return to the UFC.
He'll certainly have a tough test ahead of him as he meets Lombard, who is currently 2-0 in the UFC welterweight division with wins over Nate Marquardt and Jake Shields.
The newly paired matchup joins the UFC 182 fight card headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against top contender Daniel Cormier.
